When She Messes Up

I found a piece of eggshell in the collagen-rich chicken soup I usually had at breakfast every morning.

I called Lilian over and made her watch as I picked the shell out and placed it on the table. Folding my arms, I stared at her.

"I'm so sorry, Alaina," she mumbled, her face flushing with guilt. She did not dare to meet my gaze. "I'm sorry. It must have fallen in while I was interacting with my live stream audience earlier."

"I'm not unreasonable, Lilian, but we pay you 10,000 dollars every month. That is very generous for someone of your qualifications," I told her. "If you cannot do your job properly while live streaming, maybe it's time to stop streaming altogether."

…

That same evening, Carlos cut his steak elegantly at dinner and asked, "Why aren't you livestreaming today, Lilian?"

His eyes were fixed on Lilian.

"Alaina said my livestreaming is affecting my work," Lilian said softly.

I cleared my throat in irritation.

"I mean, I've decided to stop livestreaming," Lilian corrected herself immediately. "I want to focus on doing my duties properly."

I told her to leave us. Once she was gone, I tentatively said to Carlos, "She's clumsy and careless. Maybe we should consider hiring someone else."

Carlos was a man who barely blinked an eye when he lost million-dollar deals. But right now, he looked visibly nervous. Adjusting his tie, he replied, "Nobody's perfect. Replacing her would just mean more time spent getting a new housekeeper to learn our routines."

He took a sip of his wine. "I think she's fine. There's no need to replace her."

He was the family breadwinner, so he held authority in the household. Since I was a full-time housewife, I could only defer to him.

After showering, Carlos climbed into bed and got ready to sleep.

I positioned myself over him and caressed his face affectionately. "It's been some time since we've… you know," I murmured invitingly.

The warm lighting in the bedroom outlined my curves. I took off my nightgown and pressed closer to him. "Have you forgotten our plans? We were going to try for a baby, remember?"

"I'm too tired from work today," Carlos said coldly, pushing me away. "Maybe another day."

"No! Next time, you'll tell me you have a meeting or something." I wrapped my arms around his shoulder and kissed him lightly. "Let's do it tonight."

Carlos' irritation was evident in his expression. He'd never been like this before. Frowning, he pushed my hands away and got out of bed.

"I'm going to get some water. Wait a bit," he said. Soon, I heard his footsteps echoing as he hurried downstairs.

Ten minutes passed. Carlos did not return.

Half an hour passed, yet he was still nowhere to be seen. I got out of bed, put my nightgown back on, and went downstairs.

Halfway down the stairs, I saw Lilian hastily wrapping herself with a towel. Carlos was holding a glass of water, standing barely three feet away from her.

"What are you two doing?" I yelled, my voice echoing throughout the house.

Lilian looked up and saw me. She flushed immediately and quickly made a knot in her towel. Carlos just stood beside her, unruffled.

"Alaina, I was doing the laundry, and since you had both gone to bed, I took off my clothes and threw them in as well," she stammered. "I didn't expect Mr. Houston to come down for water…"

"So you saw her undressed?" I glared at Carlos. He'd been gone for 30 minutes; who knew how long he had been spying on her!

"I came down to get water and just happened to walk into this," Carlos said, still looking calm.

"It's alright, Lilian. Don't worry about it." He went up to her and patted her on the shoulder. Her towel jiggled noticeably with the movement. Carlos' gaze trailed down.

"That's enough. Go back to bed, all of you!" I snapped, losing my cool. I pulled Carlos away and pointed at Lilian. "And you. From now on, you'll wash your clothes separately! You're not allowed to mix them with ours!"